S: Some creamy chocolate mainly. I get some cinnamon and chile pepper as well.

T: Loads of creamy and smooth chocolate. As it fades away you get a decent amount of spicy chile and some spice - mainly cinnamon again I think. No real lingering heat, just the flavor.

M: Medium bodied, smooth.

O: A tasty chile stout, I definitely enjoyed it. It reminds me a lot of Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero in fact, maybe just a weaker version. Pretty much just creamy chocolate with some chile. Simple but I enjoyed it.

Draft. Sampled at Kickbacks. Poured into a snifter a dark brown/black color with a light tan head. Roasty, malty, chocolate aroma with a touch of the pepper. Medium/heavy mouthfeel. Roasted chocolate and coffee flavors with a touch of bitterness. The pepper is mild but builds. Overall, rather nice drinking. Some lace left in the glass. As I let this sit a while and warm the hot peppers for sure become more apparent, not too much in the upfornt but rather in the end and starts with a mild heat that starts in the throat.

I must admit that I bought this beer simply because I liked the shape of the bottle. Anyway, it comes out completely black, with a couple fingers of tan heading. The nose is of dark chocolate, chillies, and not much else. The chillies are not as much pronounced in the flavor, more aiding in the path of the dark chocolate. Body is medium to heavy, and luckily very drinkable. I tried Cigar City Hunahpu recently, and this is definitely the closest thing I have found to it. They really use the chillies to a point where they compliment the chocolate, and do not overwhelm at all. Verdi is an excellent stout that I recommend completely.

A - Pours a deep, dark brownish-black, with a billowing light brown head of rocky bubbles. Head retained for a while, but not very well. No lacing for the most part. It does come in a rather unique bottle though!

S - Mild roastiness, with charred malt and coffee grounds coming through. Lots of sweet notes with dark caramel, brown sugar and cocoa. A distinct chocolatey character as well. Chili presence is very subdued, and is just hardly detectable. Hints of wood and smoke. After the head disappears, I get aromas of creamy vanilla and cherries. A very complex nose.

T - Follows the nose quite a bit. The roastiness from the charred malt and coffee beans is fairly mild. Molasses, caramel, brown sugar, and cocoa come through nicely. Really nice blend of sweeter flavors. Now I'll admit I'm not much of a hothead, but even I was underwhelmed with the heat in the finish. The chili is there though, and adds a unique dimension to an otherwise very nice beer to begin with. Feels much more chocolatey than chili-oriented. More of a tasty sweet stout with nice chocolatey, creamy, and vanilla flavors. Either way, an excellent beer.

M - A real weak point on this beer. The body feels full and smooth like an imperial stout should, but the carbonation is way too high. Feels fizzy and overdone, especially considering the style. A little sticky after time.

D - Despite the chili flavors never really coming through like I hopes, I still enjoyed this imperial stout a lot. I'll admit there's very few bigger stouts I don't enjoy, and this was no different. Something about the big roasty, often chocolatey profile just satisfies me so well, and although this brew might not be up to par with bigger, more renowned stouts, it was still an excellent beer. Props to Italy for a damn fine craft brew.

Pours one shade from black with a two-finger brown head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving light lacing.

Smells of dark chocolate and roasted malts mostly with hints of earthy peppers. The pepper notes are very slight and I'm not sure I'd recognize it unless I knew it was an ingredient.

Tastes good. As with the smell dark and mildly bitter chocolate and roasted malt flavors dominate. Midway through the sip the peppers poke their heads out for a bit of earthiness before fading into the background before re-emerging for a bit of heat in the finish. The ending is solidly bitter.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a very smooth thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I finished my glass and could have another without a problem.

Overall this was a tasty beer however I was hoping for a bit more influence from the peppers. Still, well worth a shot.

Deepest black color, a light warp, with a thick two finger dark caramel head with medium retention.
Amazingly intense aroma with lots of licorice, dark chocolate and condiments.
Bold flavor of tart grapes, coffee, nuts, pepper, nutmeg, pine, big cocoa powder, vanilla, oat and tangerines. It finishes with lots of hot chilies that were added to the recipe.
Full body with mild carbonation. Alcohol of 8.4% is hidden in its intense flavors.
This one was much better than the one I had 2 years ago, though it continues to be a bit tiring. Nevertheless, it is a great RIS, good complexity and really intense. Almost a beer version of a Mexican mole Poblano sauce, made with cocoa and chilies. Worth trying.
Ap.4,25 Ar.4 Sab.4 Sens.4 Cj.4

A- Body appears to be a dark brown, nearly black hue-but when held up to the light it glows and murky translucency comes forward. Pours with a 1/2 finger milky head.

S- Dark chocolate is dominant with very faint chili in the nose and a mild roasted malt background that gives off the impression of coffee.

T- Initial flavor is mild and offers cocoa, smoke, and roasted malt with a very faint accent of chili. The flavors intensify for the finish but remains pretty consistent all the way through-with roasted malt and chocolate being the highlights.

M- Carbonation is low and body is moderately thick.

D- This is a very good, easy to drink brew overall. The chili and spice are very faint all the way through and provide a nice compliment to the chocolatey stout in the background. This is a classy, not over the top, well done brew.

The poured a dark brown almost black with a thick tan head. There were definite notes of roasted malts, dark chocolate and a hint of coffee. The taste reveals a lot of the same with the addition of a chili spice. The spice wasn't overpowering and had a good balance of roasted malt, sweetness and alcohol burn. The mouthfeel was in the medium range with the right amount of carbonation to even out all the flavours. Quite enjoyed this beer.

This beer has a beautiful, tall tan head and a thick obsidian color. Truly great appearance. The aroma is of roasted, burnt malts and barley. There's also a distinct barbecue hint in the background, due (I'm sure) to the chili in the brew. The taste is fantastic...lot's of malt and charred grain flavors...smoke, wood, roasted, and charcoal qualities. Long after the finish, though, a little heat creeps into the sensation. The heat lingers and adds to the experience. I really haven't had a hot-spiced beer that's been this well done....very nicely melded with the flavors. Full and creamy mouthfeel. Excellent.

a really nice stout here brewed with hot chili peppers. cool to see some more Italian breweries popping up in the market. I hate the prices but I love the beers. this one is jet black, shiny, rich and viscous looking, with an oatmeal colored head half in inch high but extremely dense. really pretty, a little intimidating. the nose is bitter roasted barley, maybe oat sweetness in the middle, and the spirited presence of chili peppers. the way good dark chocolate can be accentuated by a flake of chili, this is similar in its dosage. never trying to be a pepper beer I don't think, and never trying to be overly intense with it, just let it bring out some of the more expressive elements of the dark grains, and it does that beautifully. I look at this like the way the italians are perceived to approach cooking, with understanding, pride, respect, and a great deal of care. this is that kind of thing, delicate in a way big stouts usually cannot be. that careful hand with the peppers makes this a work of art, and while its unlikely I buy it again, I respect it tremendously and am glad to have shared it with good friends. unlike other chili beers in its heat, which is nonexistent but does have flavor and a little warmth helped along by booze. lots of body, slick going down, and memorable.

This is a stout that happens to include chili peppers, rather than an in your face chili pepper beer.

Chili pepper is present in the noise and in the mouth, but it is mild in both aspects. First sip is nice and does not impart to much heat. The heat is slow building and cumulative. By the end, it lingers on your tongue quite nicely.

Other flavors are dark rich chocolate with a little roasted quality.

I wish the mouthfeel were thicker, but it's hard to achieve that with this ABV.

T - also complex, but quite different. Slightly bitter from start to finish, in a good way. Chili only comes out at the very end. Even the primary chocolate malts are subdued vs the aroma, in favor of the burnt, almost peaty flavor.

M - has definite weight, though not super heavy. Best part is it's super oily and sticky.

D - all of the above, coming in &gt;8%, yet very easy to drink in my opinion. One of the first really well crafted Italians for me (many others have showed promise but ultimately disappointed).

Pours a dark brown color. There is some suspended sediment. 2/3 inch head of a tan color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of alcohol, sweet malt, chili, slight roasted malt, hops, hint of yeast, and slight spice. Fits the style of a Russian Imperial Stout. Mouth feel is sharp and clean, with a low carbonation level. There is a noticeable bitterness from the roasted malt. Tastes of roasted malt, sweet malt, alcohol, hint of hop, slight chili, slight spice, hint of yeast, and a hint of chocolate. Overall, good appearance, aroma, body, and blend.

Taste - nice roasty flavor, good rich maltiness without a lot of sweet. The swallow has a little bite, a little heat to it, kind of peppery. Ahh, a stout brewed with hot chili, so says the back label. Makes sense now. A warm finish on a few fronts, a little malt roast coming through on the finish.

Pours a dark black, with very little head, about a quarter of an inch, and not much of a head, either.

Smells like chocolate, roasted malt, and smoke. Not getting any pepper aromas on the nose.

The flavors starts out with bitter chocolate and roasted malt, with some smoky near the end. The heat from the chili peppers is not big at all, but you do eventually feel it- the heat sticks and lingers on your lips the more you drink of this 11.2 oz bottle. The alcohol is not all that present.

Medium bodied, but slightly thin and watery for an imperial stout. It strangely feels a bit more watery as it warms up, which seems against the typical. Thick creamy mouthfeel, light but present carbonation.

A very interesting stout, always cool to try a beer from a craft brewery in an atypical country. If the body was beefed up a bit, this would be amazing.

M: Very luscious, smooth, and velvety in the mouth. Very full-bodied compared to many other stouts. Carbonation is surprisingly active, but not quite forceful, rendering this beer's smooth texture relatively undisturbed and intact.

O: Birrificio del Ducato is definitely on my list of breweries to watch, and with quality products like Verdi Imperial Stout, it's little wonder why. This ale is perfectly balanced and displays a tremendous depth of flavor. Even the chili peppers are incorporated well and with restraint, imparting neither oily sensations nor unwanted heat. Very well executed.

Bottle purchased at Healthy Spirits in San Francisco, CA. I don't see a bottle date anywhere.

Poured into a 7oz. snifter.

Appearance: Pour yielded a tall, thick, cake-like layer of brown foam. Beautiful! Body is pitch black and muddy; looks very thick. The huge (initial) head takes awhile to calm down, but it eventually settles as a creamy film with thick outer ring (and it maintains its gorgeous brown color). Thick, sticky lacing. No faults here.

Smell: Roasted barley, oats, dark chocolate, and a touch of "hot chili." Chili, caramel, and barbecue sauce pick up steam as the beer warms. With time, leafy greens and milk chocolate also emerge. I wasn't too wowed by the aroma at first, but it really comes to life once it warms. I dig.

Taste: Mocha, dark chocolate, oats, and "hot chili." I absolutely love when brewers and chocolatiers combine dark chocolate and spicy peppers. Mmmmm... so good! The chili oils really cling to the palate, making each sip spicier than the last. In this instance, the chili peppers actually outshine the roasted malts and hops in the aftertaste. That's cool with me - I love spice - but I'd actually prefer more balance between beer and chili. Still very good.

Mouthfeel: Cool, creamy, and malty upfront; spicy, oily, warm, and dry in the back. Soft carbonation adds a pleasant, massaging aspect. I really like the transition - it's very unique.

Drinkability: A bit too much heat. It's not that I couldn't handle it, but the pepper drowned out the other flavors and really inhibited my taste buds. Will I buy this again? Maybe. It was definitely a fun experience. If you're a fan of chili-infused stouts, then this one's a must! If you're sensitive to spice, you might wanna pass.

Reviewed blind as part of Blind BIF 7. This stuf pours a straight obsidian topped by a finger of staunch tan foam. The nose comprises cocoa, mild roasted malts, dark fruits in a Port vein, molasses, and a whisper of cinnamon. The taste brings in more of the same, though the cocoa is now more of a dark chocolate character, the Port-like fruit is now a darker berry-style thing, and some coffee makes an appearance. In addition, towards the finish, a lightly lingering pepper heat comes into play, but it remains fairly subtle for me until things warm up a bit. The body is a strong medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a lightly chewy feel. Overall, a damn nice stout, one that nails complexity without drowning your tongue in confusion. Good times, indeed.

This is overall a very nice example of the imperial stout. An example of some of the better beers coming more and more out of Italy to the usa, one problem though with this beer is was extremely over priced. Definitely a very beautiful flavored stout but way way not worth price. Worth a try but not a life changer